The Opera House at Boothbay Harbor has never been “just a building” in its 130-year history. 

The three-story Queen Anne–style building was built in 70 days in 1894 by members of the Knights of Pythias. Since then, it has played an intrinsic role in the lives of residents and visitors on the peninsula. Originally the meeting place for the Knights of Pythias and the Masons, it has been the site of dances, plays, proms, school concerts, political forums, art shows, and various small shops, among many other incarnations; Santa and Mrs. Claus have been there during the former Harbor Lights Festival; the former Boothbay Region Garden Club Festival of Trees has been held there, as have fundraisers, celebrations of life, local businesses’ Christmas parties. And an annual Hootenanny; Halloween Scary Readings & Potluck, gingerbread construction workshops, the Gingerbread Spectacular, and Christmas sing-a-longs are held.

In 2003, under the new ownership of Friends of the Opera House, it evolved into the community arts center it is today. The incredible acoustics in the main auditorium have impressed innumerable performers. That list includes Mark Knopfler (major fundraiser), Arlo Guthrie, Jackson Browne (twice, both times as a fundraiser), Gaelic Storm, Rory Block, James Montgomery Blues Band, Bela Fleck, Livingston Taylor, Karla Bonoff, Tom Rush, the Kruger Brothers, Asleep At the Wheel, Lucinda Williams, Rodney Crowell & his band, Scotland's Skerryvore, and Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas, Seth Glier,  Kathy Mattea, Vance Gilbert, Francine Reed, Jon Pousette-Dart Duo, not to mention Magic Beyond Imagination, AudioBody, and French actor Aurélien Recoing reading the world famous classic “The Little Prince;” a lecture by Victoria Browning Wyeth (yes, those Wyeths!), “I Paint My Life;” comedian Paula Poundstone, The Amazing Kreskin, the Slambovian Circus of Dreams, and more. 

At press time, this year’s summer and fall performers include Alison Brown Quartet, Gaelic Storm, Canadian Brass, the Tapestry Vocal Ensemble “Postcards From France,” Larry & Joe, Garrison Keillor, Jerry Douglas Band, Ragtime boogie-woogie pianist Bob Milne, The Clements Brothers, U.S. Navy Band’s Country Current, Skerryvore, Peppino D’Agostino, Genticorum, Dean Owens & the Sinners, and who knows who Executive Director Cathy Sherrill is working on. 

The second floor bar is a cozy, dark wood-accented room with ceiling lights dating back to 1894! In the winter months, it is used for “Open Mic” nights. The room next to the bar is used as a gallery space and, at one point, it was  the “green room” for the bands playing in the main auditorium. 

The Opera House at Boothbay Harbor was the April image in the 2014 Haunted New England calendar created by paranormal researcher Jeff Belanger (“Ghost Hunters” and Travel Channel) and photographer Frank Grace, who visited the Opera House in 2013. Maybe its resident spirits stick around because they love a good show!

The Opera House at Boothbay Harbor is at 86 Townsend Ave. Or just look for the three and a half story, yellow, Queen Anne-style building. You can’t miss it!